On March 27, 2022, six Erasmus+ project participants and two teachers from the European Gymnasium Bertha-von-Suttner set off to the Czech Republic to meet new people and gain new experiences. Since many of our planned trips had been postponed or cancelled due to Corona restrictions, we were very excited to finally leave for a live meeting.

We arrived in Prague in the afternoon and explored the city on our own. After an early dinner, we finally met the first people from the other partner schools. Together with the groups from the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, we went on a three-hour guided walking tour of Prague.

The next morning, the other participants from Sweden and Italy arrived, and we learned more about communism in the Czech Republic and the people we would be spending the week with by visiting a museum and some historical sites. Together we made our way to Uhersky Brod, where we were met at the train station by our host students.

We spent the next few days at the local school, where we participated in workshops, each focusing on specific examples of propaganda. At the beginning, we learned about propaganda in the history of our countries. Later, we focused on propaganda during the Cold War and Nazism, especially how it changed Uhersky Brod.

In the afternoons, we used the time to explore Uhersky Brod and its surroundings, such as Luhačovice, a spa town, try new Czech food, and enjoy time with our exchange students. We played games, talked and met more people from other countries. On our last evening, the school's folk dance group showed us some of their traditional dances, which we also got to try.

During the program we learned a lot about politics, history and different methods of learning and presenting information. We also learned new skills, such as how to discuss in English. But most of all, we will remember the great time and the people we met who invited us to their homes.

Jana De Prest (Year 11)